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Argul IV
World: 'Argul IV *'Location: 'Core Worlds *'Type: 'Jungle Death World - Rating: Maxima *'Tithe: 'MilitesPharmecum The incredibly hostile ecosystem breeds tough soldiers and contains rare compounds useful in medical drugs. *'Population: '42 Million 000 000 *'Government: '''Imperial Dictatorship & localised tribalism. Argul IV's many settlements are each ruled by elder councils and/or chieftains. These local rulers convene every ten years to select one of their number to be the planetary governor and the official representative of their people to the Imperium. In such a duty strength of will & resistance to manipulation are more important than experience in governance, so it is typically fiery young chieftains that are given this honour. The current planetary governor is '''Lord Chieftain Kriros, a massive man who is both a celebrated warrior and deceptively skillful negotiator. Description The most hostile Death World in the Sector. Argul IV is a densely jungled world and home to millions of animal and plant species whose only apparent purpose is to kill anything that goes near them in the most debilitating and painful ways possible. However this ensures that the inhabitants of this planet are exceptionally tough, resourceful and skilled fighters, and the regiments raised from this planet are much vaunted through the Sector. Argul IV was one of the first planets (possibly the very first) in the sector to be colonised by humans. Though records are of course spotty it is believed that humans first came to Argul IV aboard a sleeper ship, a form of transportation used before the Dark Age of Technology that took far longer to traverse the stars than navigator-guided warp travel and followed a pre-programmed route onto a distant planet that had been identified as habitable from faraway Terra. Unfortunately for the inhabitants of that sleeper ship, they found themselves upon a planet hellbent upon killing them. Forced to adapt to survive on their new world, the people of Argul IV formed a fearsome survivalist culture that has been honed to perfection over the millennia. Ancient relics of forgotten technology from the original colonisation are thought to hide beneath the oppressive jungle canopy, though countless AdMech expeditions have been lost trawling through the death world in search of them. Another interesting aspect of the Argulian people is that they are all of the Afrikan phenotype, supporting the theory that the original colonists were from a sleeper ship launched launched from the ancient Terran province of Afrik. There are many varieties of plants on Argul IV which contain valuable chemicals for use in rare and powerful medicines. To harvest these there are many Adeptus Mechanicus outposts on this planet where Techpriests, largely immune to the diseases of the native florae and protected from the native fauna by their techguard, harvest the compunds they seek. *'Technology:' - Imperial Only the hardiest of tech can survive in this environment for any length of time. *'Military:' Argul IV's ecosystem means virtually every citizen is an armed warrior and effectively a part of the PDF, and they spend much of their time guarding settlements from the ever encroaching native life. It has no System Defence Fleet, though the few fools that attempt to take advantage of this by raiding the surface usually meet bloody ends at the hands of the planet's lethal inhabitants. *'Strategic importance: 'Media The regiments from Argul IV are highly valued for their abilities and fearsome reputation, but should this planet be destroyed there will not be paricularly severe repercussions to other planets. *'Loyalty: '80% Living on Argul IV is only possible through Imperial support and materials, coupled with a strict system of honour this makes most citizens of Argul IV exceptionally loyal to the Imperium. However lack of contact with the wider sector (very few consider visiting Argul IV as anything other than a death wish) has led to the planet speaking an extremely divergent form of Low Gothic, creating a language barrier that can hamper efforts when working with people from other worlds. Notable Locations Argul IV is a very small planet and its surface is only 25% water. The majority of the surface is densely packed tropical jungle, riven with rivers and intermittent lakes. Human settlements are many and varied. Some are permanent and formed of hard rockcrete, the surrounding forests and creatures kept away with fire and gun turrets. Other lesser settlements are semi-permanent, a cleared area inhabited for some months until surrounding predators start gathering in greater numbers, forcing the tribe to move on to another site. *'Dragonmaw' - The capital of Argul IV, this large flat slab of ferrocrete is one of the very few areas of cleared forest visible from high above. Dragonmaw handles 95% of traffic to and from orbit and is little more than an enormous starport surrounded by armoured walls and towers. A substantial population lives in the defensive towers and walls, ensuring this vital lifeline between Argul IV and the rest of the Sector is never severed by the local wildlife. *'Argul Station' - This lone space station lies in geosynchronous orbit above Dragonmaw and houses the beaurocratic and administrative controls of Argul IV. Almost everyone in Argul Station are from offworld, mostly Administratum and Adeptus Mechanicus personnel. This is also where the Argulian Governor lives, ensuring that Argul is receiving the supplies they need in return for the large number of tithed soldiers they give. Notable inhabitants: **'Lord Chieftain Kriros' - The current planetary governor or Argul IV. Kriros is a physically imposing and martially skilled man who induces enough fear in administratum personnel to deter any attempts to take advantage of his world. Those who think they can outsmart the enormous Chieftain are soon foiled as well, as Kriros possesses a notable cunning, and hushed tales of Administratum Adepts who sought to fool the Lord Chieftain turning up badly maimed abound throughout Argul Station. Notable Species of Argul IV Land Animals *''Dragondog'' - An extremely agressive, four-legged reptile that can grow up to 20 feet long (including tail). With a thick leathery hide that is immune to licker burns and incredibly resistant to even mono-edged blades, razor sharp teeth filling a gaping maw that could tear a man in two, and thick, strong muscles that give it an alarming turn of speed, the Dragondog is a ferocious opponent. Furthermore as the apex ground predator and one of the few beasts on Argul IV impervious to attack from the fearsome Argulian Raptor the Dragondog has no measurable instinct of self-preservation, as nothing in its natural environment save other Dragondogs is capable of killing it. In close-combat a Dragondog is capable of killing an unarmoured Astartes but its extremely sharp senses and lack of fear make fleeing a temporary solution at best. As such the advised method of dealing with a dragondog is to level ranged firepower upon it as soon as possible, with multiple accurate lasgun shots required to put one down for good. *''Argulian Raptor'' - Though the dense jungle is hazardous, open ground is arguably moreso due to the presence of this rare avian species. With a span of 4 metres, wings sheathed in a razor-sharp ossified coating, and a dive speed in excess of 200 km/h, the Argulian Raptor can spot prey from kilometres away before climbing high into the sky, swooping down and neatly decapitating the victim before they know what hit them. The Raptor will then latch its meathook-like claws into the corpse of it's prey and carry it off, the backwash of it's powerful wings enough to knock a man to the ground. Thankfully intense competition over what little open ground there is on Argul IV means the Raptor population remains small, with rival birds killing each other over territorial disputes frequently. *''Cogsbane'' - Contraction of 'Cogboy's Bane'. This species of lizard secretes a noxious gas that, on contact with iron compounds, rapidly decays and rusts the material. Unless killed or otherwise removed (which is easily achieved with a sharp boot-kick) the lizard will attempt to consume the Iron Oxide to feed an Iron-Bacteria within it's digestive system, which in turn make the lizard poisonous to predators and discourages them from attacking. This symbiotic relationship has kept the lizard alive where similarly timid beasts would have died out long ago. But to the modern humans of Argul IV the rusting effect it has on their equipment is maddening, and in the middle of a jungle surrounded by predators, potentially fatal. *''Wild Grox ''- The few lobotomised Grox brought along by original settlers spawned an uncontrollable population. Without the constraints of lobotomisation the feral Grox population is savage and extremely dangerous. *''Brushleaper'' - A herbivorous prey species commonly found in the jungles. The brushleaper is medium-sized mammal around 1.5 metres high and 2 metres long, with six slender, independently articulated legs. The brushleaper is capable of running at an incredible speed with a seemingly impossible manoeuvrability, its many legs pushing off the trees to redirect its momentum in an instant. Water Animals *''Seabutcher ''- This species of whale is the apex predator of Argul's oceans. The Seabutcher is around fifteen metres long, bulbous in structure with thick leathery skin and an enormous mouth of a dozen rows of teeth sharper than mono-edged adamantium. Its tremendous jaw strength allows it to bite a light armoured vehicle in half, and its powerful musculature and long fins allow it to swim at high speeds. It is also covered in broad-spined ridges that run from front to back, giving it extreme resistance to bites as well as acting as rudimentary spaced armour against explosive attacks. *''Wavestrider'' - This species of fish inhabits both oceans and waterways. The wavestrider's method of survival is not through lethality or impenetrable defences, but rather an almost unimaginable rate of reproduction, allowing its population to remain high despite enormous predation. All wavestriders hatch with an already fertilised clutch of eggs that numbers in the hundreds, meaning they are all effectively clones, and they are similar to the famous Grox in that they can consume virtually anything for sustenance. They can also grow to a massive size of almost five metres long (at least the few that survive long enough) and younger, smaller ones mostly stay in the waterways while the larger wavestriders inhabit the oceans. A few attempts have been made over the millennia to transplant the wavestrider elsewhere for industrial farming, but even under heavy controls they quickly multiplied at an unmanageable rate to a degree that necessitated bio-viral eradication. *''Swarming Razorfish'' - A species of small fish that inhabits Argul IV's tropical rivers. The razorfish travels in dense shoals and is covered in small fins that are edged like knives and capable of cuttinng through even thick hides. A shoal will swarm around prey and shred its surface with their fins to quickly disable it, and then individual fish will burrow into the gashes with their maws of sharp, gnashing teeth. *''Argulian Pikeshark'' - A large fish that inhabits the jungle waterways. The pikeshark's main body is around three metres long and very narrow, with several long vertical fins and a tremendous swimming speed. Large chitinous ridges wrap around the pikeshark's body, protecting it from Razorfish swarms, and its primary means of attack is a long barbed spike on its nose around 50cm long. Formed of adamantium-hard material and lined with vicious barbs, the Pikeshark uses its tremendous speed to impale other fish and even drinking land creatures, before consuming them with a large mouth of powerful teeth. Florae *''Licker'' - A type of plantlife that is rife throughout the dense jungle. Lickers are tough vines that wrap around treetrunks before sprouting large, tongue-shaped leaves. These leaves secrete a powerful digestive fluid that can dissolve flesh in moments. The Licker's natural prey are species of rodent who crawl between the branches of the trees, and when they enter a leaf's proximity the leaf will flick out and roll up in a licking motion, capturing the prey. To the rodent this is almost immediately fatal, but to an unaware human who has let their guard down and approached too close this lapping will leave behind a layer of digestive fluid that can eat through 4cm of skin, fat and muscle within a minute before losing its potency. Though rarely fatal, licker burns are the most common injury suffered by those who venture into the jungle and fail to keep their wits about them, and are often debilitating for weeks if not months. *''Mantraps'' - Like most Jungle Deathworlds Argul IV has its fair share of overgrown carnivorous trapping plants. *''Murder Trees'' - Argul IV is host to a number of species of murder tree. The most common is a winding knotted tree that launches toxic spines at any animal that comes near. Another species uses an elaborate root system to create cavities of earth line with sharpened roots that acts as a lethal pitfall trap to any who fail to spot it beneath the fallen brush that covers the jungle floor. *''Spiker'' - This horrifying Catachan species is believed to have be transplated to Argul IV via Catachan explorers who range from death world to death world challenging their skill on native creatures. Some rumours claim it was introduced by an amoral Imperial agent seeking to make the world even more hostile and thus make Argulians even more skilled. Fortunately it remains exceptionally rare, and locally produced antimutagens have shown to halt the Spiker toxin's effects if applied quickly enough. Encounters with the Ghosts of Retribution They have brought large quantities from their medical drugs that helped Klementhos in his projects. They demanded nothing in return, but said that they hope that Chapter will remember them if they ever need our help. Category:Planet Category:Subsector Deus Category:Imperial World Category:Death World